Helping Strathclyde University Chamber Choir reach a larger audience

Strathclyde University Chamber Choir (SUCC) are a Glasgow-based charity specialising in acapella choral music. Already boasting European performances and live BBC Radio broadcasts they want to reach a larger audience online.

The Problem

Being their online platform for publishing news and concert information, the choir’s website needs to represent them well. Unfortunately, SUCC’s dated online presence simply wasn’t helping them achieve a greater awareness and interest. Therefore, they identified a website refresh as being crucial to reach a larger audiece. As a result, SUCC asked for our advice on how they could solve their problem rapidly and effectively.

Key requirements for the website were it must be:

easy to maintain

cost-effective.

These two constraints meant that it made perfect sense to remain with their existing WordPress installation. Then we could have our main focus on making the front-end as simple and modern as possible.

The opportunity reiterated why I want to work within a UX agency. Understanding and helping people improve what matters to them makes the outcomes more meaningful. To do that, you’ve really got to get into the mindset of who you’re working with and who their audience is. Working closely with the choir let me do just that, gain a valuable insight into a new community.

The Process

The project promised to be a great learning experience. Both in terms of architecting a new website and for my newfound choral interest! During an afternoon collaborating with a member of the choir’s committee we discussed how best to represent what Strathclyde University Chamber Choir were all about. We then set about defining a series of requirements from which a project plan was created.

Identifying and aligning the choir’s goals with those of their users allowed us to collaborate on a new information architecture. The revised structure now facilitates quick access to news, concerts and ticket sales. All of which are important for the choir to share and just as important for their visitors to find. The Information Architecture has since paved the way for producing fresh and engaging copy to accompany an impressive backlog of photography taken from social events and concerts.

To finalise the look and feel of the new website we designed a brand new logo for the choir. The classical typeface and stave create a bold and memorable image. While the size and shape of the logo have been optimised for cross-channel use.

The Solution

Taking advantage of third-party services were also key to achieving the choir’s targets. We helped identify cost-effective services which are maintainable and aimed at the people the choir want to engage. The following are what we went with:

Eventbrite: A free and widely popular platform for advertising concerts and events. A ‘go to’ for those looking for things to do in their area. Eventbrite brings the choir’s concerts to a whole new audience which they may have never reached otherwise. Check out their page here.

SoundCloud: Another free and widely popular service but this time for music streaming. SoundCloud acts as a great way to store recordings and snippets from the choir’s performances. Accessible on-the-go and as an iframe in the choir’s music page, it’s the perfect platform for showcasing their music. Check out the choir’s SoundCloud account here.

The new website has been customised around all of the choirs assets that were pulled together. The final stages of the project were held for team reviews before passing it over to the choir for feedback. A few minor aesthetic changes later and the choir were happy to push the site live. The website has now launched on their new and more identifiable domain (strathclydechoir.org). Check it out!

Measuring Outcomes with Strathclyde University Chamber Choir

I look forward to assessing the future impact of the website refresh. I am pleased to have helped breath new life to the choir’s online presence. Strathclyde University Chamber Choir now have a website which reflects their enthusiasm and showcases what they have to offer for the community.